1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cargo net assembly for a vehicle that comprises a cargo net, affixation elements, and a storage compartment.
2. Background Art
Cargo nets are used to partition a cargo storage area from a passenger compartment of a vehicle. Cargo nets may be used to restrain cargo and can prevent cargo from shifting into the passenger compartment.
Prior art cargo nets, or load nets, are secured within a vehicle in a variety of ways. A simple cargo net may be secured to buttons on a vehicle body by loops or gussets attached to the cargo net. Another type of cargo net may be secured by a tube frame to a vehicle that may be anchored to the vehicle roof and floor behind a seat of the vehicle. This approach provides a rigid and durable cargo net, but requires substantial space within the vehicle and is difficult to store when not in use.
Another approach to providing a cargo net in a vehicle is to provide a cargo net that is mounted on a winding shaft that is tensioned by means of a spring motor. This type of safety net is mounted within a housing that may be assembled to a rear seat back rest. This approach may require the seats of the vehicle to be in a seating position. The winding shaft and spring motor combination is a relatively complex structure.
Another approach to providing a cargo net is to provide a motor driven cargo net that may be automatically moved between an operative and a non-operative position by a servo motor in response to a sensed increase in load level. The cargo net may be stored in a cassette or other storage housing that is mounted on the rear seat of the vehicle. This proposed solution is expensive and complex and requires space in the cargo area of the vehicle for the cargo net cassette. It also requires that the rear seat of the vehicle remain in its upright or seating position to be functional.
There is a need for a simple and cost-effective cargo net that may be conveniently stored in a vehicle and that requires minimal storage space. There is also a need for a cargo net storage mechanism that may be deployed with the seats of a vehicle in any possible position because the cargo net deployment function is independent of seat positioning.
The present invention addresses the above needs and overcomes problems associated with prior art cargo nets and cargo net storage devices.